The present invention relates to stringed instruments, and, more particularly, to a guitar having interchangeable fretboards, a novel switchboard pickup mechanism and individual tremolo mechanisms for each string thereof.
Music has always provided a popular source of entertainment and pleasure to persons from all over the world. However, modern musicians also want control of the sounds generated by such instruments.
Electromagnetic pickup elements that detect the mechanical vibrations of the strings and convert these to electrical signals for amplification and subsequent playback in speakers are well known to those skilled in the art. Also well known is the use of multiple pickup elements placed in various configurations relative to the guitar strings to obtain distinct frequency components of the mechanical string vibrations. Moreover, musicians are able to switch from one to another of these pickup elements during play or to switch to combinations of two or more pickup elements to provide a plurality of electrically amplified guitar sounds.
One problem noted in the prior art is the inability to quickly and accurately switch from one or another of the pickup elements without interrupting the play of the guitar. Improvements in switching technology include Starr, U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,149, which teaches an electronic push button switching system that allows rapid, unobtrusive switching between multiple pickup elements or combinations thereof Starr thereby provides a simple and accurate switching control during guitar play.
Another improvement in switching technology includes Cota (the present applicant), U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,986, which uses the opening and closing of a hinged top portion of a multiple coil pickup device to change the tone or pitch of the resultant guitar string sounds.
It is also well known in the art to provide a tremolo mechanism which allows the musician to change the tension of the strings while said strings are vibrating. Such mechanisms generally comprise a lever having one end connected to a base plate to which said strings are attached. When the other end of the lever is lifted by the musician, the resultant pull on the base plate increases the tension on the strings thereby resulting in a different sound. However, such mechanisms always act upon all the strings of a guitar simultaneously. Thus, there is a need for a tremolo mechanism which allows the musician to selectively alter the tension on each of the guitar strings separately.
Lastly, it is also well known in the art to provide different fret board configurations to provide a multiplicity of sounds. Cota (the present applicant), in U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,986, describes interchangeable fret boards that alternately extend and are secured by screws to a playing position, or retract within a guitar body for storage or carrying. However, there is a need for an interchangeable fret board which is easily attached to and detached from the neck of a guitar.
The present invention meets these needs.
In accordance with the invention claimed a number of improvements are made in electronically amplified stringed instruments.
It is, therefore, one object of this invention to provide an electronically amplified stringed instrument having a plurality of electronic pickup elements and means for switching between the plurality of electronic pickup elements during play.
It is still another object of this invention is to provide a plurality of interchangeable fret boards to create a plurality of different sounds.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a tremolo mechanism separably operable for each one of the strings of the stringed instrument.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of the specification.